The US game publishers organisation confirms that that Activision and Vivendi have discontinued their membership

On the heels of Activision's announcement that it will not participate in this year's E3 comes word that the company has discontinued its membership in the ESA.

"While the Entertainment Software Association remains the preeminent voice for US computer and videogame publishers, we can confirm that Activision and Vivendi Games opted to discontinue their membership," said Rich Taylor, the ESA's senior VP of communications and research, in a statement.

"The ESA remains dedicated to advancing our industry’s objectives such as protecting intellectual property, preserving First Amendment rights, and fostering a beneficial environment for the entire industry. Our high level of service and value to members and the larger industry remains unchanged."

Activision and Vivendi Games are in the midst of a merger which will soon be concluded, creating a single entity to be known as Activision Blizzard.

"After careful consideration, Activision has decided not to renew its ESA membership for business reasons and will not be participating in any official E3 activities," an Activision spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz.

"We appreciate the work that the ESA has done over the years in promoting the interactive entertainment industry with state and federal governments and wish the ESA best of luck with the show."

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